Seminar on Emotion (Psyc 365)
Fall 2012
Instructor and Course Information
Professor: Patricia M. Rodriguez Mosquera
E-mail: patricia.rodriguezmosquera@wesleyan.edu or prodriguezmo@wesleyan.edu
Office and Phone: Judd Hall 503, (860) 685-4958
Time and location of seminar: Monday and Wednesday from 1:10 to 2:30, Allbritton 113
Office hours: Monday 4-5, Wednesday 12-1, or by appointment
Description
This seminar aims to provide an intensive introduction to what emotions are and how they
influence our relations with other people. The seminar will cover general theory on emotion as
well as theory on specific emotions (e.g., anger, shame, envy). As emotions are
multicomponential processes, we will examine how the social context shapes different
components of the emotion process (e.g., appraisal, phenomenological experience, expression).
Moreover, we will explore how emotions operate at the individual, interpersonal, intergroup, and
cultural level of analysis.
Seminar on Emotion, Fall 2012 ~ 1
Seminar Schedule and Readings
(All readings on Moodle)
September 3
Introduction to Seminar on Emotion
September 5
The Place of Emotions in Social Life
Parkinson, B., Fischer, A. H., & Manstead, A. S. R. (2005). Emotion’s place in the social world.
Emotion in Social Relations. Cultural, Group, and Interpersonal Processes (pp. 1-22). New
York, NY: Psychology Press.
September 10
Understanding Emotion (I): Emotional Experience
Feldman Barrett, L., Mesquita, B., Ochsner, K. N., & Gross, J. J. (2007). The experience of
emotion. Annual Review of Psychology, 58, 373-403.
September 12
Understanding Emotion (II): The Notion of Function Applied to Emotions
Keltner, D., & Haidt, J. (1999). Social functions of emotions at four levels of analysis. Cognition
& Emotion, 13, 505-521.
September 17
Gender & Emotion (I)

Fischer, A. H. (1993). Sex differences in emotionality: Fact or stereotype? Feminism and
Psychology, 3(3), 303-318.

Shields, S. A. (2002). Speaking from the Heart. Gender and the Social Meaning of Emotion.
Chapter 2 (pp. 21-42). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Seminar on Emotion, Fall 2012 ~ 2
September 19
Gender & Emotion (II)
Shields, S. A. (2002). Speaking from the Heart. Gender and the Social Meaning of Emotion.
Chapter 7 (pp. 139-168). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
September 24
Happiness & Subjective Well-Being (I)
Mauss, I. B., Savino, N. S., Anderson, C. L., Weisbuch, M., Tamir, M., & Laudenslager, M. L.
(2011, September 12). The Pursuit of Happiness Can Be Lonely. Emotion. Advance online
publication.
September 26
Happiness & Subjective Well-Being (II)
Adler, J. M. & Hershfield, H. E. (2012). Mixed emotional experience is associated with and
precedes improvements in psychological well-being. PloS ONE 7(4):e35633.
October 1
Pride (I)

Williams, L. A., Desteno, D. (2008). Pride and perseverance: The motivational role of
pride. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 94, 1007-1017.

Williams, L. A., & DeSteno, D. (2009). Pride. Adaptive social emotion or seventh sin?
Psychological Science, 20 (3), 284-288.
October 3
Pride (II)
Kornilaki, E. N., & Chloverakis, G. (2004) The situational antecedents of pride and happiness:
Developmental and domain differences. British Journal of Developmental Psychology, 22, 605619.
Seminar on Emotion, Fall 2012 ~ 3
October 8
Anger (I)
 Averill, J. R. (1983). Studies on anger and aggression: Implications for theories of emotion.
American Psychologist, 38 (11), 1145-1160.

Pond, R. S., Kashdan, T. B., DeWall, C. N., & Savostyanova, A. (2012). Emotion
differentiation moderates aggressive tendencies in angry people: a daily diary analysis.
Emotion, 12, 326-337.
October 10
Anger (II)
Fischer, A. H., & Roseman, I. J. (2007). Beat them or ban them: The characteristics and social
functions of anger and contempt. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 93, 103-115.
FALL BREAK FROM OCTOBER 12 TILL 17
October 17
Embarrassment
Miller, R. S., (2004). Emotion as adaptive interpersonal communication: The case of
embarrassment. In L. Tiedens & C. W. Leach (Eds.). The social life of emotions. (pp. 87-104).
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
October 22
Guilt & Shame (I)
Tangney, J. (1992). Situational determinants of shame and guilt in young adulthood. Personality
and Social Psychology Bulletin, 18, 199-206.
October 24
Shame and guilt (II)
Gausel, N., Leach, C. W., Vignoles, V. L., & Brown, R. (2012). Defend or repair? Explaining
responses to in-group moral failure by disentangling feelings of shame, rejection, and inferiority.
Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 102, 941-960.
Seminar on Emotion, Fall 2012 ~ 4
October 29
Envy (I)

Parrott, Q. G., & Smith, R. H. (1993). Distinguishing the experiences of envy and
jealousy. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 64, 906-920.

Van de Ven, N., Zeelenberg, M., & Pieters, R. (2009). Leveling up and down: The
experiences of benign and malicious envy. Emotion, 9(3), 419-429.
October 31
Envy (II)
Rodriguez Mosquera, P. M., Parrott, W. G., & Hurtado de Mendoza, A. (2010). I fear your
envy, I rejoice in your coveting. On the ambivalent experience of being envied by others.
Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 99, 842-854.
November 5
Hurt & Social Pain (I)
Leary, M. R., Springer C., Negel, L, Ansell, E., & Evans, K. (1998). The causes,
phenomenology, and consequences of hurt feelings. Journal of Personality and Social
Psychology, 74 (5), 1225-1237.
November 7
Hurt & Social Pain (II)
Nordgren, L. F., Banas, K., MacDonald, G. (2011). Empathy gaps for social pain: Why people
underestimate the pain of social suffering. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 100,
120-128.
November 12
Humiliation (I)
Klein, D. C. (1991). The humiliation dynamic: An overview. The Journal of Primary Prevention,
12(2), 93-121.
Seminar on Emotion, Fall 2012 ~ 5
November 14
Humiliation (II)

Hartling, L. M., & Luchetta, T. (1999). Humiliation: Assessing the impact of derision,
degradation, and debasement. Journal of Primary Prevention, 19, 259-278.

Combs, D. J. Y. , Campbell, G. , Jackson, M. & Smith, R. H.(2010). Exploring the
consequences of Humiliating a Moral Transgressor. Basic and Applied Social
Psychology, 32, 128 -143.
November 19
Group-based emotions (I)
Leach, C. W., Iyer, A., & Pedersen, A. (2006). Anger and guilt about ingroup advantage explain
the willingness for political action. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 32(9), 12321245.
THANKSGIVING RECESS FROM NOVEMBER 21 TILL NOVEMBER 26
November 26
Group-based emotions (II)
Giner-Sorolla, R., Castano, E., Espinosa, P. & Brown, R. (2007). Shame expresion reduce the
recipients’ insult from outgroup reparations. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 44,
519-526.
November 28 CLASS CANCELLED DUE TO PROFESSOR’S CONFERENCE
ATTENDANCE
December 3
Final reflections on emotions: On emotional integrity (I)
Solomon, R. (2007). True to our feelings. What our emotions are really telling us (pp. 117-158).
Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Seminar on Emotion, Fall 2012 ~ 6
December 5
Final reflections on emotions: On emotional integrity (II)
Solomon, R. (2007). True to our feelings. What our emotions are really telling us (pp. 159-200).
Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Assessment
1. Questions for class sheet. For each class, you are expected to submit at least two questions
based on the readings. These questions can be, for example, about what you found unclear in the
readings, or what you thought was left unanswered in the readings, or a new research question
inspired by the readings. There will be ample time for participation in class, and you can always
bring these questions to the class.
The questions for class sheet shoud be short (no longer than half a page). Please write your
questions using bullet points. I will collect the questions sheet at the end of each class.
You are allowed two “free passes” for the semester.
2. Short reflection essays You will need to submit a short reflection essay every two weeks.
Each essay is a reflection on the readings we have discussed in the past two weeks. You are free
to focus your essay on those readings that you found most interesting.
Please treat these essays as longer reflection papers. The following are some question guidelines
for your reflection essay: what did you find most interesting or unexpected in the readings? what
did you find most difficult, or challenging about the readings? what have you learned about
emotions through these readings?
Each essay should be no longer than 1,100 - 1,250 words in length (approx. 2 single-spaced
pages). I will drop the lowest writing grade so your best five essays will count toward your final
grade. Here are the dates where you will need to submit your reflection essays (all essays need to
be submitted at 5pm on the due date):
Seminar on Emotion, Fall 2012 ~ 7
-Friday September 14.
-Friday September 28.
-Friday October 12.
-Friday October 26.
-Friday November 9.
-Friday Novembe 23.
You will receive feedback and grade for your short reflection essay within a week after
submission. Generally, A papers show a careful reading of the readings and are well-written and
coherent. B papers show a good understanding of the readings, but do not provide a careful
reflection on the readings. Papers who mostly summarize the readings will receive this
evaluation. C papers are poorly written and do not show a careful reading of the readings. You
can submit all papers through Moodle.
3. Final individual paper. Your final paper should be a literature review of an emotion topic of
your choice. This topic can be a topic we have covered in class. For example, you are really
interested in anger, or in embarrassment, and you would like to read more papers on this
emotion.
You need first to identify a topic you are interested in. Please come to my office hours to discuss
your ideas. You will then need to find 3 sources (i.e., academic journal articles or book chapters)
on the topic of your interest. You are expected to search for recent and appropriate sources for
your final paper through Wesleyan library’s databases. The Library offers tutorials to students on
how to search for sources in the Library’s databases. I will post on Moodle a document that
provides guidelines on how to write a literature review.
Your final paper should be no longer than 10 pages long, double spaced (excluding references).
Important deadlines for final paper:
From Monday November 19 till Friday December 7: You can submit your paper’s draft and I
will provide feedback about your draft. Please remember that the more complete the draft you
Seminar on Emotion, Fall 2012 ~ 8
submit, the more detailed my feedback will be and the more useful my feedback will be to you. I
do not grade the draft; this step is aimed to provide you with my feedback so you can improve
your paper.
December 14, 5pm: Submission of final draft through moodle.
Breakdown of final grades
(1) Short reflection essays: 40%
(2) Final paper: 40%
(3) Discussion questions for class: 10 %
(4) Class attendance and participation: 10%
I will compute your final grade according to Wesleyan’s grading system.
Moodle
There is a Moodle set up for this course. Please check it regularly. I will post announcements and
important information about the course.
Exceptional Circumstances
I do not accept any work submitted after the specified deadline unless in case of a medical or
family emergency. In case of a medical emergency, you will need to provide a doctor’s letter
indicating that you were unable to complete class-related work due to a medical emergency. In
case of a family emergency, you will need to provide a letter from a parent or your advisor/dean
at Wesleyan indicating that you were unable to complete class-related work due to a family
emergency.
Special Needs
I want to create the most supportive learning environment possible for all students. It is the
policy of Wesleyan University to provide reasonable accommodations to students with
documented disabilities. Students, however, are responsible for registering with Disabilities
Services, in addition to making requests known to me in a timely manner. If you require
accommodations in this class, please make an appointment with me as soon as possible [during
the 2nd week of the semester], so that appropriate arrangements can be made. The procedures for
Seminar on Emotion, Fall 2012 ~ 9
registering with Disabilities Services can be found at
http://www.wesleyan.edu/studentaffairs/disabilities/index.html.
Academic Honesty
You are expected to adhere to Wesleyan’s Honor Code as stated in the Student Handbook. No
group work is acceptable for any of the assignments. Any evidence of group work on an
assignment will result in a 0 for that assignment.
Attendance and Participation
Class attendance is absolutely essential. Please be punctual and do not talk in class while the
instructor or other students are speaking. You are not allowed to use mobile phones in class. You
are allowed to use your laptop in class, but not the internet.
Seminar on Emotion, Fall 2012 ~ 10